LDS Family Services
Encyclopedia
LDS Family Services is a private nonprofit corporation owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It offers members of the church and others adoption
services, marital and family counseling
, addiction
and drug
dependency
counseling, general psychotherapy
, and counseling and other services to women or girls experiencing unintended pregnancy
. In addition to individual counseling, classes are offered on strengthening marriage; strengthening families; and the Addiction Recovery Program (ARP), based on the 12-step model and Christian values.
In 1919 the organization was created as the Relief Society Social Service Department by Amy B. Lyman
, an official in the church's Relief Society
. In 1969, the organization was renamed Unified Social Services. In 1973, the organization became a corporation separate from the church's Relief Society and renamed LDS Social Services; in 1995, the name was changed to LDS Family Services.
LDS Family Services currently has 62 offices located in the United States
, Canada
, United Kingdom
, Australia
, New Zealand
, and Japan
. Staff must have a minimum of a master's degree in behavioural sciences.
of the LDS Church clarified the purpose of the adoption services provided at LDS Family Services:
LDS Family Services requires that all those who wish to adopt through the organization meet certain eligibility requirements. In addition to compliance with all state and federal laws, these requirements include that prospective adoptive parents must be "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sealed to each other in the temple, and have current temple recommends." As a result, LDS Family Services does not facilitate adoptions by single parents, unwed couples, nor same-sex partners.
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
services, marital and family counseling
Relationship counseling
Relationship counseling is the process of counseling the parties of a relationship in an effort to recognize and to better manage or reconcile troublesome differences and repeating patterns of distress...
, addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
dependency
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
counseling, general psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, and counseling and other services to women or girls experiencing unintended pregnancy
Unintended pregnancy
Unintended pregnancies are those in which conception was not intended by the female sexual partner. Worldwide, 38% of pregnancies were unintended in 1999 . Unintended pregnancies are the primary cause of induced abortion, resulting in about 42 million induced abortions per year...
. In addition to individual counseling, classes are offered on strengthening marriage; strengthening families; and the Addiction Recovery Program (ARP), based on the 12-step model and Christian values.
In 1919 the organization was created as the Relief Society Social Service Department by Amy B. Lyman
Amy B. Lyman
Amy Brown Lyman was the eighth general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1940 to 1945....
, an official in the church's Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
. In 1969, the organization was renamed Unified Social Services. In 1973, the organization became a corporation separate from the church's Relief Society and renamed LDS Social Services; in 1995, the name was changed to LDS Family Services.
LDS Family Services currently has 62 offices located in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Staff must have a minimum of a master's degree in behavioural sciences.
Adoption services
Birth-parent services are offered to all, regardless of religion, and are free of charge. LDS Family Services respects the agency of unwed parents and provides options counseling to birth parents to help them explore different options, including single parenting, marriage, and adoption. In a 1998 letter, the First PresidencyFirst Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
of the LDS Church clarified the purpose of the adoption services provided at LDS Family Services:
- Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by parents who provide love, support, and all the blessings of the gospel. Every effort should be made in helping those who conceive out of wedlock to establish an eternal family relationship. When the probability of a successful marriage is unlikely, unwed parents should be encouraged to place the child for adoption, preferably through LDS [Family] Services (“Policies and Announcements,” Ensign, Apr. 1999, 80).
LDS Family Services requires that all those who wish to adopt through the organization meet certain eligibility requirements. In addition to compliance with all state and federal laws, these requirements include that prospective adoptive parents must be "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sealed to each other in the temple, and have current temple recommends." As a result, LDS Family Services does not facilitate adoptions by single parents, unwed couples, nor same-sex partners.
External links
- LDS Family Services : official webpage